My family recently visited the east coast for the first time. After showing them around Canberra, I took them to Sydney and we went to see the Sculptures by the Sea at Bondi. While in Bondi, I took the opportunity to go to Porch and Parlour for lunch as I’ve had it on my list of eateries to visit for a while now. The view of the beach is blocked as it’s not on the main strip but you do still feel the ocean breeze.

There was a queue for lunch but it was only a 20 minute wait. The eatery is tight inside with only a few small tables, stools at the counter and stools out the front looking out of the open windows onto the street. It seems like the eatery is located at what used to be a residential unit with old timber door frames and floorboards that have been kept as part of the café. The patchy distressed walls have different washes of paint on them, maybe from all the previous owners giving the wall their own touch? The hipster furnishings includes timber from the old Sydney Harbour Bridge making this place pretty special.

I love the added touches of freshly cut flowers in bottles on each table. I think it adds a pop of colour and a feminine touch.

First up some cold drinks. I ordered the pineapple, apple and mint smoothie ($9) which came out thick and sour. Great if you like pineapple. My sister ordered the mango and banana smoothie which usually has spinach in it that she asked be removed. These came out quite quickly considering the place was packed.

There were a few breakfast items available for lunch clearly marked on the menu. But we all decided to order from the lunch menu which I noticed offered various vegetarian options. I ordered the Cosmic Raw Salad ($18) of mixed herbs, fennel, lettuce, beetroot, quinoa, guacamole, sprouts, sauerkraut and sprouted crackers. I added the ocean trout for an extra $7. This was a great move as the ocean trout was cooked to perfection and wonderfully juicy. Bonus points for getting the skin super crispy too. The salad itself was exactly what I needed after a 4-5km walk in the hot sun. And there was plenty of it. I wasn’t a fan of the pickled sauerkraut so I left most of this on the side. Other than that, I thought this was a really great and healthy lunch.

Mum was also in the mood for some salad and ordered the chicken breast with kale and bean salad (can’t remember the price).

My sister ordered the barramundi with blood orange and fennel salad (can’t remember the price). Everyone was pleased with their light and healthy lunches. The protein was cooked beautifully and fresh produce was used. My sister found that her dish was on the smallish portion side so she wasn’t full afterwards. Fortunately, we’d ordered the drinks which helped fill us up.

Although there were lots of young and happy staff at Porch and Parlour, it was still hard to get someone’s attention when we wished to order. It’s loud inside even with all the doors and windows wide open but this didn’t bother me. The open kitchen allowed me to watch one of the chef’s carefully slicing up some salmon but it also lets a lot of the kitchen noise out. It is very squishy inside and you can’t help but bump or be bumped by fellow diners. Overall, we had a pleasant experience and I wouldn’t mind checking out the breakfast menu sometime.

P.S. There are two unisex toilets on site and I love the Aesop handwash!

Foodgasm 8/10
Value for money 7.5/10
Service 7/10

FPJ score 22.5/30

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